The present invention relates generally to an information processing system, a terminal, an information processing apparatus, and a management server, and more particularly, to control of connection between a security PC and a blade server in a thin client system.
Due to needs of countermeasure for information leaks and internal control in companies, etc., a concept of thin client appears where a dedicated computer (thin client) having no hard disk apparatus, etc., and having only minimum functions such as displaying and inputting is employed as a client computer to unify the management of resources such as application software in a server (blade server).
With regard to technologies related to such a thin client system, for example, for the purpose of providing a secure remote access system which improves user-friendliness by using a storage device having a built-in tamper-proof device as a user authentication device in the secure remote access system in which a user accesses a server while performing encrypted communication from an indefinite client, thereby performing a task, a remote access system has been proposed that includes a server, a client device accessing the server, a network connecting the server and the client device, a remote control application program connected to the client device to remotely control the server, an encryption application program encrypting communications over the network, and a storage medium having a business application and authentication information stored in a tamper-proof region for the remote control of the server; the storage medium has middleware stored thereon to drive the remote control application, the encryption application, and the business application to be operated on the client device; and the CPU of the client device executes the middleware to operate a file access application interface and a file access driver when performing file access and to operate an interface handler and a device driver for communication between the sever and the client device when performing an authentication process. See, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-235159.
For the purpose of constructing a computer system capable of always executing processing in the same environment without depending on a terminal device directly used by a user, that is, without depending on a place or an appliance of a client used by the user, a computer system has been proposed that includes a computer apparatus having a plurality of computer boards, a storage apparatus connected to the computer apparatus through a network and having a plurality of storage areas, a management computer that manages the computer apparatus and the storage apparatus, and a terminal apparatus connected to the management computer through a network; the management computer includes a first table defining a correlation between user information and the storage areas; if a utilization request for the computer board including user information is transmitted from the terminal apparatus, the management computer selects an unutilized computer board among the plurality of computer boards, sends back an available computer board number to the terminal apparatus, assigns a storage area corresponding to the user information based on the first table, and transmits an address identifying the storage area to the computer apparatus. See, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2005-327233.
For the purpose of improving security of a storage apparatus, an apparatus has been proposed that includes a flash memory chip, an IC card chip capable of executing a security process (such as encryption and decryption), and a controller chip that controls reading/writing of data from/to the flash memory chip and the IC card chip in accordance with a request from a host. See, for example, PCT International Patent Publication No. WO/02099742A1.